Our occasional South Australia correspondent Andrew Stevens brings news of Lotus adventures in SA with his latest edition of SA Lotus Talk. Read on, and enjoy!
South Australia Lotus Talk: May, 2018
April Monthly Run
Well, autumn has arrived, which means the vines have started to turn, this year’s vintage has been picked, and the sight of brightly coloured Lotus in the Adelaide Hills is a joy to behold.
Our April run fell on Easter Sunday, which was also April Fool’s Day for this season. Our numbers were held down by Easter commitments (no doubt our regulars either frequenting one of the myriad churches that dot the Adelaide landscape, or trapped at home by the fear of their Lotus being the butt of an April Fool’s joke). Nevertheless, the dedicated bunch set off on one of our favourite runs, with Paris Creek Road, and Jack’s Café at Strathalbyn in our sights.
The roads were surprisingly quiet, as we stirred up the first of the autumn leaves on the way to morning tea, an exploration of the antique and curio shops, planning of our Lotus Team’s exploits at the forthcoming 6 Hour Relay, and getting first impressions of the magnificent new ‘The Bend’ track at Tailem Bend. The verdict on the latter is that it’s wide, challenging, and likely to be quite difficult to master in its longer configurations.
Collingrove Come & Try Hillclimb
In conjunction with the Sporting Car Club of SA, April 7th saw the first ‘Come ‘n Try Hillclimb’ at Collingrove on the edge of the Barossa Valley. This is an opportunity to have a go at the Collingrove Hillclimb and test your driving skills. It’s a cheap and accessible form of motorsport that you can enjoy in your daily drive, or weekend Lotus.
With four Lotus attending, David Hopper (Exige Cup 240) and Graeme Lipsham (Caterham) were our runners, with Andrew Stevens and Scott Begbie spectating for the day. The SCCSA organisation is very smooth and cars were quickly cycled back to the start to maximise the learning time, while allowing discussion on lines, tyre pressures and start technique.
Both David and Graeme improved dramatically during the day, David applying plenty of opposite lock as he leaned on the Exige on his street tyres, and Graeme getting smoother and quicker as the day progressed.
May Activities
Sunday 4th May was both our next monthly run, and the MSCA 6 Hour Regularity Relay at Mallala. This is one of the best value and most enjoyable motorsport events of the year, with the Lotus Team of Chris, Charles, David and Andrew expecting to be very competitive. With 24 teams entered from SA, NSW and Victoria, it’s sure to be keenly contested. Whatever the result of the point score, we’ll definitely be having the most fun.
Cheers and safe Lotusing,
Andrew